Cougars claw past Serrano

APPLE VALLEY - It could have easily been a championship match - between two teams from the High Desert, arguably the two best in CIF-Southern Section Division IV.

The Desert Sky League champion Granite Hills girls soccer team edged out Mojave River League champion Serrano 3-2 in a semifinal playoff game on Tuesday at Granite Hills High School after a 100-minute battle.

"The two best teams in the Division just played," Granite Hills coach Mike Bradbury said. "It was a seesaw battle where we were down twice. True champions can come back from any deficit and overcome any odds. I'm speechless."

With the game tied at 2-2 in the final minute of the second overtime, Granite Hills' Shelby Shelton took a shot on a long throw-in from Cynthia Alozie. Cougars freshman Kristine Pasek got the deflected ball in front of the goal and passed it to senior striker Emily Ochoa, who kicked it in for the game-winner.

"I was just so tired and I was just so glad that was the end of the game," Ochoa said. "All year, we've been working on following until the ball gets to the goal line. I saw the defender reach out her leg and I kicked (the ball) as hard as I could to the net to make sure it went in."

Granite Hills (20-5-2) will play in the CIF championship game on Saturday against No. 3 La Serna, which defeated Bishop Montgomery in the semifinals. The game site and time will be determined on Thursday.

Serrano (24-2-3), ranked No. 1 in the final CIF-SS Division IV poll, had beaten No. 4 Granite Hills 4-0 in a preseason match. But it was a much different Cougar team on the field Tuesday.

"I knew we are a second-half team," Bradbury said. "It's the team that's playing their best soccer at the end of the year."

The Cougars only have two seniors this year. The young team struggled at the beginning of the season, but as the players gained more experience, they started to show dramatic improvement.

The Granite Hills offense showed its speed and teamwork as it created opportunities on lead passes to forwards, who were able to outrun Serrano defenders.

"Obviously they've changed a lot," Serrano coach Dave Molina said of Granite Hills. "They are very fast and that's a big weapon for them. That was a huge difference."

The defense was also impressive for the Cougars, who don't have any seniors in the backline. They focused on neutralizing Serrano striker Kauren Tarver, who had been involved in seven of Serrano's eight goals in the first three playoff games.

"My job was just to take (Tarver) out of the game," Milani said. "That was my only job of the game."

Although Tarver scored the game's first goal, she rarely got good touches on the ball.

"It just wasn't working," Tarver said. "(The ball) just couldn't get to me. I tried but we just weren't connecting."

While Granite Hills outshot Serrano in the match, the D'backs executed on their first-half opportunities and took the lead twice.

Eight minutes in, Serrano drew first blood as Tarver headed a pass from Kellci Tessendorf into the net.

The Cougars bounced back in the 20th minute as Louise Baartz finished off on a deflected corner kick from Milani.

In the 36th minute, Serrano forward Katie Pound dribbled past a defender to deliver a pass into the penalty box and Tessendorf scored the goal for a 2-1 halftime lead.

"We talked about the possibility of going down a goal in the game," Bradbury said. "It's a part of a championship match. It's a part of this level of soccer."

But Granite Hills took control in the second half. In the 47th minute, Alozie kicked hard, low pass from inside the penalty area on the right. Baartz touched the ball in to tie the game at 2-2.

The Cougars managed to play most of the second half on Serrano's side of the field and took many close shots. At the 76th minute, Pasek nearly scored after a free kick, but the Cougars were called for offsides.

Serrano also came close on a set-play chance when Tarver fired a shot on 20-yard free kick, but it sailed high.

"This is a game that could have gone either way," Bradbury said. "I think the winner won today."

About 300 spectators gathered as the two local rivals faced each other in the semifinals. It was by far the biggest local girls soccer game of the season.

"As soon as I woke up and my alarm went off, I just knew today was different," Milani said. "I couldn't even concentrate in my classes. I knew I had my game today."

Tomoya Shimura can be reached at 951-6281 or at tshimura@vvdailypress.com.